Day 21 - St.Goar to Wiesbaden - Planned Spontaneity

July 12, 2018

Day 21 - St.Goar to Wiesbaden

Polders! In Germany?

Today's route:

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Before we left, Marvin had to retrieve the bikes from the cellar.

The hotel had the basics and that is about all I can say.

This statue of a captain at the wheel as we were leaving St. Goar. A nice tribute I think.

Castle Burg Katz, across from St Goar. Build in 1370 then destroyed by Napoleon in 1806. Rebuilt in the 1800s and now houses a rest home for federal employees. How come there are no castles for retired nurses in Canada???

The Rhine was busy this morning with lots of barges coming and going.

The Lorelei is a large rock that stands at the narrowest part of the Rhine. The rock facing on both sides of the river narrows it to 1/3 its usual width. This significant change makes it one of the most dangerous parts of the Rhine. Legend has it that this is where the siren Lorelei would lure sailors to their deaths.

In addition to the regular train survice that moves between most German cities, there is an express train that will move you quickly from one major city to another at a good pace. We noted that they usually only have about 3 cars while the trains that go from city to city have a much greater capacity. This indicates that the trains are used for everyday commuting.

On the east side of the river today's stretch did follow the road for a good portion of time.

These ships were busy doing what we think was dredging. Any opinions out there?

It is fun to cycle along and watch for castles and towers. The towers are often evidence of what was once a walled city.

The town of Oberwessel has a well preserved wall with several standing towers.

The Schonberg castle looking down on Oberwessel.

Across from Oberwessel is Burg Gutenfels.

Another view of Burg Gutenfels and the surrounding vineyards.

Across from the town of Kaub is die Pfalz. It was a customs fort built to look like a ship. The tower was built in 1400s and the bastion was added in the 1700s.

Burg Gutenfels is apparently now a hotel.

On our last trip we took the ferry over to the east side of the Rhine. This time we opted to stay on the west side.

Burg Rheinstein. Very impressive. Apparently, there is a museum there. Perhaps next time we will have the time to stop in.

Some lovely stretches of trail right along the river.

We enter the main part of Bingen over a bridge crossing the river Nahe. Then, turning right, there is a lovely park that sits and over looks the confluence of the Nahe and the Rhine. Kind of like a mini Deutsches Eck. Very nice. It as not here when we came 4 years ago but we do remember there being lots of construction happening.

The confluence of the Nahe and the Rhein.

Niederwalddenkmal national monument build in 1883 to commemorate the formation of the Prussian Empire.

An old crane made into an impressive work of art.

Our first sighting of a field of sunflowers. I felt like I was entering a van Gogh painting.

After Bingen the trail takes us away from the Rhine for a while. We cycled through farming areas. One area had fields of grain alternating with rows of fruit trees.

The plum trees were loaded and you could actually smell the plums as you cycled by.

A beautifully kept half-timber building in one of the small towns we cycled through.

Marvin was impressed by the size of the willow trees that surrounded the play ground.

Anyone know what these purple flowers are? They were soooo pretty.

This area is a polder!!! We thought we left those behind in Holland. However, this area of the Rhine valley had such high ground water tables that a dike was built to form a polder to increase arable land.

Unfortunately. it is hard to see but this wheat field was peppered with bright red poppies. It was so beautiful. I would love a duvet cover with that pattern.

It is hard to appreciate the height of these poplar trees in this pictures but trust me, they were impressive.

One of many loaded apple trees that we passed.

Our bench of the day! This area was just off the path but it caught my eye on the way by as did the fruit stand right before it! We loaded up with cherries, apricots and fresh made apple juice, cycled down to the benches and table by the river and enjoyed a break in the shade. It is moments like this that make a day perfect.

As we took our break we watched some poor fellow try to stand up on water skis.

Back on the trail. Dike on one side, wheat fields in a polder on the other.

And then just like that we were cycling through the woods.

We noticed this on our last trip. Many people see to own small plots of land outside of the city where they grow gardens and go to relax. Some have small sheds on them and some tiny cottages.

Approaching the bridge before Mainz where we cross to get to Wiesbaden.

We did quite the curly-que to get on the bridge.

Steve, Marvin took this picture for you. Not much of a friend is he.

Wiesbaden was quite a wealthy town at the turn of the last century and has some impressive homes to prove it.

We are staying at the City Hotel Wiesbaden. Euro 64 with breakfast and the nicest place we have stayed to date. Great service, lovely room, good location and immaculate. We are happy.

The view from our room. I like seeing the courtyard areas behind the large city buildings. You can see how people try to personalize their own tiny spaces.

Another lovely day. At one point the rain did spit at us a little but it was very short lived and the day was warm and dry. We did have quite a few conversations about our Da Brim helmet covers. I think we need to start selling them here. Women especially seemed interested in keeping the sun off of their faces. I know I love mine.

Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 944 km (586 miles)

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